For our Position Breakdown series, we will look at each position group for Michigan Football as we head toward spring practices.

How does the current depth chart shake out? What are the storylines or things you should watch heading into the spring and, eventually, the season? What's the X factor, whether it's a player, coach, or situation, that could change how the group looks?

Let's talk the defenders in the middle.

POSITION BREAKDOWN SERIES

Quarterback
Running Back
Wide Reciever
Tight End
Offensive Line
EDGE
Defensive Tackle
Linebacker
Cornerback
Safety

For most of the last two seasons, the Michigan linebackers have been led by Junior Colson and Michael Barrett. Both are headed to the NFL, with some analysts projecting Colson as the best LB in the 2024 NFL Draft. This means Michigan will have two new starters in the middle of the defense.

Normally, this would raise concern, but thanks to back-to-back transfers inside the Big Ten conference, Michigan heads to 2024 with an intriguing duo again.

Before last season, former Nebraska LB Ernest Hausmann transferred to Ann Arbor. Some expected Hausmann to fight for a starting role, but the sophomore got a needed year as a solid rotational piece. Hausmann played roughly half the snaps of Barrett and Colson. He is a pure-form tackler who rarely misses, but he must improve in pass rush and coverage to help truly replace Barrett.

With Colson declaring for the draft as a Junior, there was a potential gap in the defense at the MIKE. Michigan once again went to the portal, landing Maryland transfer Jaishawn Barham. A violent tackler, Barham makes an impact in the run game and pass game. Barham was the only player to intercept JJ McCarthy outside of the Bowling Green game. Unlike Hausmann, Barham is elite in pass rush, with 21 pressures and 3 sacks in just 83 pass rush snaps last season. A weapon new DC Wink Martindale will surely use.

The LB room welcomes back Brian Jean-Mary as coach and has more depth than in recent years. Jean-Mary originally recruited Jaydon Hood, and he hopes to impress in the spring and become the 3rd LB, similar to Hausmann last season. Hood will have to compete with Micah Pollard, a valuable special teams contributor poised to crack the two-deep. Jimmy Rolder will hope to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2023 season to back up Barham at the MIKE.

The group to watch here is the young guns. This season, popular picks to break out are redshirt freshmen Jason Hewlett and Hayden Moore. I will be watching closely to see their physical shape at the start of camp and where they are in the pecking order. It would not be a hot take to say either one could start in 2025. Michigan will also have two future stars as early enrollees, Cole Sullivan and Jeremiah Beasley. It will also be interesting to see the size of the two freshmen, especially Sullivan, who could grow into an EDGE. It is rare to see freshmen contribute at LB, but if anyone can do it, Sullivan and Beasley have the tools.

The potential game changer for this group is Semaj Bridgeman. The role Bridgeman plays next season is arguably a question but his talent is not. Bridgeman was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class, with an impressive offer list that included Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Oregon. Although there was some debate about where Bridgeman should be ranked towards the end of the cycle.

Bridgeman is explosive but not fast. He is closer to a Josh Ross style MIKE than a Colson. But he is physical and strong to the point it jumps off the film. As Bridgeman likes to say, "I play defense and lift weights." So why is he my X factor?

Aside from being built like a Mack truck, Bridgeman could absolutely be in the mix as the backup MIKE this season. However, when I look at Bridgeman I think of Jaylen Harrell. Prior to last season, Harrell was a hybrid LB/EDGE who essentially played a SAM LB, a role he held himself in the Michigan defense. Bridgemen is relentless when pursuing the ball and could be an absolute force in run defense.

I am not saying Bridgeman will eventually become an EDGE, which he could, but with Hausmann and Barham in this defense, getting Bridgeman outside as a SAM LB and allowing him to be the run defense platoon much like Harrell was before he developed as a pass rusher seems like a no brainer. How Michigan uses him early in spring will determine how I project Bridgeman moving forward, but whether challenging as a MIKE or carving out his own role, Bridgeman will be felt on the field in 2024.

---

Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards

Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer

Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @lucasreimink, @JaredHalus

Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify

Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube

Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram